Shadow of the Moon
by Scizor999
Summary: Team Rocket is back, with a darker plan that could enshroud the world into a fit of nightmares. Will our young heroes be able to save the world this time? - Ok so the summary isn't that good at all...but whatever, please R&R! Pokéshipping as well! Thanks!
1. Prologue  The Return of Rocket

**_Ok guys, so this is going to be my first "long story". Bear with me please, I promise it'll get better! I know this short, but it's just the prologue! Let me know whatcha think in a review! Thanks! _=]**

**__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story.**_ _**

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><p><strong>Prologue - The Return of Rocket<strong>

Giovanni watched with pride; his army, after 4 years of hibernation, was finally ready. His plan would not fail this time; he'd make sure of it.

Giovanni followed his army outside of the warehouse. He had divided his 52 most trusted and powerful members into sectors. Each pair was given a special Pokémon for their individual missions. The rest of the members, the grunts, were randomly handed an assortment of specially trained Pokémon, from Raticate to Dusclops. He had to make sure to thank his guest for the special training.

Giovanni smiled maliciously to himself as his ebony eyes bore into the crimson Viridian horizon. He quickly barked a few orders to the grunts and set them all to continue working. He walked back briskly into the mansion, and took the elevator to his office. The dark enclosure zoomed down, slowing down as it reached the lowest floor.

Persian's whiskers perked up; it detected movement. It whirled around to find its master with a tiny grin plastered on his face. Persian meowed and snuggled its head into Giovanni's leg, hoping to take advantage of its master's good mood.

"That's a good Persian," said Giovanni as he scratched it behind the ears. Persian released a purr of contentment. Giovanni sunk into maroon, velvet chair and tapped his fingers on the desk. A slight frown irked its way onto his face; he had come down for a reason, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it…

Persian yawned as it walked over to its mass of pillows and sheets. Its eyelids began to descend over its crimson eyes. The bright red jewel atop its forehead shone bright, and as the cat took 3 rounds around its bed, its whorled tail came to rest next to its slowly breathing, pale tan body.

Giovanni closed his eyes and smiled as he pressed a small black button under the desk.

"Sector Z, please come down to my office immediately."

5 minutes later, a pair of Rocket members walked in, heads held high with pride. The lower the letter in the alphabet, the higher your rank. Being Sector Z, the pair took great pride in knowing they were Giovanni's most trusted and most powerful sector.

The female spoke up. "You wanted to see us boss?"

"Yes. As you two know, I have given each sector a Pokémon, trained specially by our guest. You two have been doing such a phenomenal job that I've decided to be quite generous and give you two your Pokémon first." The pair smirked, excitement glinting in their eyes. "In fact, you will be the only pair to receive a Pokémon _each_." Giovanni spoke as he handed each member a Pokéball. "Take good care of them as they are the new pride of the Rocket Pokémon battle force."

The pairs' smirks deepened; they knew exactly what Pokémon they had each been given.

"Tanks boss, you ain't gonna regret dis!" smirked the malicious Meowth with absolute confidence.

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><p><strong><em>Again, I know it's short...but how was it? Good? Bad? Let me know! <em>**:D****


	2. Chapter 1  S S Pokémon

**_Following is the first chapter of the story! Yay! :D Slight Pokéshipping here, but Ash is dense, so maybe not really? I know the chapter's a bit slow, but aren't all beginnings? I'm thinking for the next chapter to land Team Rocket's first attack, but we'll see. A few things in this chapter are referenced to past episodes. Future chapters will have many references to previous episodes and movies, but I'll make sure to list them in this pre-section. I always find it helpful to add ages, so the ages of the characters in my story thus far;_**

**_Ash - 15_**

**_Misty - 15 turning 16_**

**_Brock - 18_**

**_Dawn - 12_**

_**I did a lot of research, but I didn't like the ages I found, whether they're true or not. We know for a fact Misty is older than Ash (from the first episode), we just don't know how much (but it's no more than a year since she was already 10 on his 10th birthday). But yeah...anyways haha, without any further ado, here's Chapter 1!**_

**__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story.**__**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - S. S. Pokémon<strong>

Her 16th birthday was coming up. And he knew exactly what to get her. He smiled to himself, slowly tipping his hat forward so nobody would notice the cheeky grin plastered on his face. _You've outdone yourself this time Ash, Misty's gonna love this!_ Now all he had to figure out was how exactly to give it to her…

"Come on Ash, we're gonna miss the boat!" Ash Ketchum raised his chocolate eyes, frantically searching for his friends. _Miss the boat! It doesn't leave until 10:00! It's only…_Ash looked down at his Pokégear.

"Wah!" It was 9:58! How was that even possible? He could have sworn the clock hand had trudged past 9:05 not but a few minutes ago! Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu were already aboard the ship, desperately waving and screaming at Ash to hurry up. 9:59. Ash threw his bag over his shoulder and sprinted to the boat as fast as he could; his legs began to burn, but that only increased Ash's determination. _Wah! The boat's pulling away!_ 10:00. As Ash reached the dock, and made one final desperate leap for the boat! _I'm gonna make it!_ His hands were only inches away from grabbing the railing…he was almost there…he made one final stretch…SPLASH! _Are you kidding me? What was that, like a hair's width away?_

Dawn, Brock, and Pikachu had burst into the most obnoxious fit of laughter! They were on the ground, hugging their stomachs as their bodies heaved, eyes squeezed so hard that tears were splashing down, laughter emitting from their mouths.

Bulbasaur appeared on the ship in a brilliant flash of white.

"Bulbasaur!" yelled the Grass-type Pokémon with joy. It extended long vines from its body, quickly winding them around Ash. With ease, Bulbasaur lifted Ash onto the dry floorboards of the S. S. Pokémon. Ash coughed up some water as he returned his old friend with a spluttered thanks.

"Yeah, don't worry about me guys, just keep laughing," Ash murmured as he attempted to wring his jacket out over the edge of the ship. Great friends they were, huh?

"Oh Ash, stop being such a baby," giggled Dawn. Her blue hair bounced slightly as her cap took a dive down past her eyes. Again, she giggled, adjusting it so it sat neatly on top of her head.

Brock chuckled as he walked over to his Chansey, standing a few feet from Ash, carefully eyeing him to make sure he didn't need any medical attention.

"Don't worry Chansey, Ash is gonna be fine," assured Brock, as Chansey tore its eyes from Ash to Brock to give it a happy smile on contentment. "Why don't we let all the Pokémon down to the play area guys?"

Ash blinked, staring blankly at Brock. Obviously, he hadn't known the ship had such features. Nevertheless, he released Bulbasaur, Quilava, Corphish, and Gliscor. Brock tossed two Poké Balls in the air, one containing Croagunk and the other holding his beloved Crobat.

Ash had talked to Professor Oak a few days back, and decided he wanted his team to be a combination of all his journeys. Brock, appreciating the new variety on Ash's team, swapped Pokémon with his brother Forrest back home, taking possession of only his Chansey, Croagunk, and Crobat.

Dawn released each and every one of her Pokémon as well; Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, and Togekiss each appeared with a graceful entrance. Ash realized just how well Dawn had trained her contest Pokémon. All 14 Pokémon stretched and yelled in excitement!

"Make sure you take care of everyone Pikachu!" Ash yelled towards the Pokémon racing into the distance.

"Pika pika Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled back with confidence, waving his tiny arm as the other Pokémon tugged it forward.

"Let's go ahead and get settled into our rooms," suggested Brock, tossing his bag over his broad shoulder. He picked up Ash's soaked bag and carried it inside to the interior of the ship. After being one of Ash's best friends for 5 years, he knew the teen would most likely stay up on deck for a bit longer.

"See you inside Ash!" Dawn gave him a small smile before skipping on after him, feeling a little more excited than Ash thought she should. After all, they were going to _his_ hometown, and he wasn't even that excited. For some odd reason though, he was most excited to catch up with his other best friend, Misty Waterflower. He shook his head, clearing his head of any confusing thoughts that had begun to creep into his mind.

He gingerly peeled off his hat and wrung it over the railing. He placed his moist jacket on the railing, and laid his hat on top. His chocolate eyes peered deep into the fading crimson horizon, watching the day end. He felt so peaceful; the last couple of weeks had been hectic, battle after battle after battle. Placing in the Top 4 in the Sinnoh League was hard work, but he was proud. He decided that this week-long cruise back to Pallet Town was just the vacation he and his Pokémon needed.

His mind flashed over the memories they had collected throughout their journey in the Sinnoh region, reliving each and every moment. _If only Misty could have seen how me get to the Top 4!_

If Ash had counted right, by the time they reached Pallet Town, it would be exactly 16 days until her birthday, including the day they reached and the day of her birthday. How perfect! Finally, he could do something right for a change!

He stood leaned against the ceiling, taking in the cool, salty, ocean scent and the nippy wind as it playfully bit at his nose and cheeks. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to enter a blissful world full of nothing but peace and serenity.

As the last sliver of the day began to fade under the ocean line, Ash picked up his still-wet clothes and walked into the ship. He grasped the silver Gyarados handles of the door and walked into a beautiful hotel-like hallway.

The ceiling reflected a beautiful painting of Pidgeot, Noctowl, Swellow, and Staraptor flying across an open, sapphire sky. The carpet under his feet depicted a Blastoise, Feraligatr, Swampert, and Empoleon racing towards the end of the hallway. The wall on the right hand side showed a Typhlosion, Blaziken, and Infernape racing towards the same goal as a Charizard took an aerial approach above the fiery racers. The wall on the left hand side showed a Venusaur, Meganium, Sceptile, and Torterra bounding off as well. It was as if he looked up, the ceiling would appear to be opening to the heavens, if he looked down, the floor would appear to be opening the depths below, and if he looked to either one of his sides, a beautiful open plain revealed itself to him.

This was amazing. It was beautiful; every little detail etched into the Pokémon flared up, framing each and every one of them in such a way so that they appeared to jump out at him. It was a truly spectac–wait a second, since when did Ash Ketchum appreciate artwork? Ash once again shook his head and walked along the magnificent hall until he spotted Room #16, the room Brock had told him he and Ash would be staying in. Even the room was supporting him, Ash mused.

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><p><strong><em>So how was it? Really good? Really bad? If you have any suggestions or comments, please leave in a review, it helps the story get noticed! <em>=]**


	3. Chapter 2  Rockets on Deck

**_Alrighty, here is Chapter 2 folks! This chapter is completely about Team Rocket. I wasn't really happy with it, but I just needed to get it up. I'm thinking of making the next chapter heavily Pokéshipping. We shall see! In the mean time, go ahead and read this chapter and let me know what you think! If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Anyways, enjoy the chapter!_ =]**

****__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story.**__**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Rockets on Deck<strong>

Jessie held the new Poké Ball she had received from the boss in her hands. She gently turned it over, admiring it with malicious intent in mind. She just couldn't believe their luck; for 5 years, they had chased that twerp and his Pikachu and other rare Pokémon and had never once brought back a Pokémon to the boss. It just happened that she, James, and Meowth had stumbled upon a certain someone the boss would be very interested in meeting. The boss had been so overjoyed that he immediately made them the highest-ranking sector. Oh the looks on Cassidy and Biff's faces were priceless! She chuckled to herself.

It was quite lucky that they had stumbled upon the certain someone.

_Jessie, James, and Meowth had been moping about their latest failure with the twerp and his Pikachu. The last phone call from the boss was a warning; if they had not captured anything within one week, they would be off the team for good. And not only that, but Giovanni made sure to mention that he had some special hit men that were just aching for a new mission. Today was their last day; the boss had only given them until 10:00 PM and it was nearly 9:30 PM._

_As they walked down the sidewalk, a dark figure immediately pulled all of them into an alleyway. Jessie and James instinctively pulled out a Poké Ball, getting for any trouble that may have proceeded. Taking a second before acting, the trio surveyed their captor. He has gasping for breath, as if in pain, but they couldn't make out his figure in the shadows. A tattered billowy beige coat draped his shoulders, carefully gracing the ground._

"_I…need your help…do you know of a trainer that goes by the name of Ash Ketchum?" The trio flinched at their enemy's name. "I…I am in need of his assistance…the fate of the world is once again in his hands…and this time, it's more impending and deadly than ever." The stranger grasped his left arm as gasped for air again._

_The trio exchanged confused looks; who could this mysterious figure be? They stepped closer as the stranger slightly tipped his face upwards. They gasped with utter terror. There's no way…how could this be possible? What were they to do?_

"_Yeah we know da kid! We can take ya right to 'im! But furst, we needa get ya to a healer! Come wit' us, we'll help ya get better and then take ya to the twe-I mean the kid!" blurted out Meowth. After 5 years of practiced lying and thinking on their feet, the trio was more accomplished at this sort of thing than you'd think. Jessie and James exchanged looks of pure admiration and pride. They took the stranger to Giovanni, who has simply overjoyed._

"Sector's A through D, I want to see all 8 of you in my office immediately!" growled the boss over the intercom, waking Jessie up from her flashback.

Four men and four women trudged to the boss' office. They exchanged worried looks before carefully rapping their knuckles against the wooden gateway. What were they in trouble for? The boss sounded angry…were they going to get punished?

"Come in," barked a voice from inside. The eight rocket members reluctantly dragged their feet through the now open doorway. As soon as the last pair of feet had walked through the threshold, the door slammed shut. Giovanni's sat in his leather chair, his back to them.

"The four Poké Balls on my desk are labeled A through D, obviously corresponding to their respective sector. Take the one that with your letter on it. Then I want all of you to find yourselves on the S. S. Pokémon, no later than 48 hours from now." One of the members took a peek at the clock; it was nearly 1:00 PM. "Once you are on that ship, your individual mission's shall be told to you by my secret aide. He'll know how to find you," snapped Giovanni, as if he knew that one of the members were just about to ask him that very question. "Now get out of here and onto that ship; immediately!"

One member from each pair quickly snatched up their respective Poké Ball and left the office as fast as humanly possible; they didn't particular like Giovanni, and they especially didn't like him when he was irritated. The members bid a quick farewell to one another as they left in four groups to pack their belongings. Now all they had to do was figure out a way to get onto a ship in the middle of the ocean…

**40 hours later.**

Sixteen feet softly touched down onto the deck of the S. S. Pokémon, just as the warm sun dipped above the ocean line. The sun twinkled a bright orange hue on the water, reflecting it onto the members' faces. Their eyes spoke of danger and malicious intent; all they had to do now was to find Giovanni's secret aide. How were they to find him? They'd have to stay low until they found him, so each had dressed as a common, obnoxious tourist, flashing items from sunglasses to cameras to bright, flower, Hawaiian-styled shirts.

"Well…shall we relax until we get our missions?" suggested one of the members, almost timidly. The other members allowed themselves a slight pang of excitement; they hadn't had a vacation in many, many years. Wouldn't it be wonderful to finally have some time to relax, just until they received their missions? The member's partner turned on him, with a rather serious and slightly irritated look etched on her face. Her eyes bore into his, as if thinking if this was a good idea or not. After a few minutes, her features softened as she turned towards the sunrise.

"Sure, why not Butch-y boy."

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><p><strong><em>Like I said, not the best chapter. Ah well...the next one will be better, I promise! Stay tuned to find out what happens to our young heroes!<em>**


	4. Chapter 3  Early Morning Endeavors

**_Hi guys! Sorry for the late update, I've been trying to get you guys a chapter out once a week, but this one took 2 weeks. On the upside, it's almost 4 times longer than the last chapter! _**:D_ Anyways, here the ages of the characters in this chapter:_****

****_Ash - 15_****

****_Brock - 18_****

****_Dawn - 12_****

****_New Girl (who's name shall be revealed at the end of the chapter) - 15_****

**_Enjoy the chapter!_**

****__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story.**__****

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Early Morning Endeavors<strong>

The morning sun peeked above the ocean line, winking brightly, reflecting a cheerful aura on the waking passengers of the S. S. Pokémon. A beam of sunlight took advantage of a break in the clouds, and shot down, hitting Ash Ketchum's face with full force. Immediately, Ash eyes scrunched up as he gritted his teeth, pulling his covers as far up as he could, shading his eyes from the bright behemoth.

The clouds were feeling particularly nasty, so as the rearranged themselves, the beam of sunlight moved itself down, hitting Pikachu like a slap in the face. Subconsciously, Pikachu grabbed and reach for something to cover its eyes. There had to be something! Sparks jumped across Pikachu's cheeks, as if warning the sun. It seemed the sun heeded Pikachu's warning, using a giant cumulus to hide its face. But then again, the sun wasn't one to take orders from a lowly Pikachu. A gust of wind was summoned, banishing the clouds from the sun's presence. It took its aim, and shot down with full force onto the tiny Pokémon's face.

Pikachu had had enough of the sun; without opening its eyes, Pikachu released a powerful Thunderbolt, attacking the sun and its rays as if it were a Pokémon. The electricity bounced of the walls, frying everything in the room from the clothes, to the chairs, to Ash and Brock. The shock was like, well, it was like a Thunderbolt from a Pikachu in the middle of a peaceful slumber. The boys roared with a combination of anger, fear, and surprise, waking up their next-door occupant, Dawn. She flung open the door connecting the two rooms, one hand gripping a Poké Ball, the other furiously rubbing her eyes. Her sapphire hair never agreed with her, and this was no exception.

"Wh-wha-wha," Dawn struggled to complete her sentence as a loud yawn forced itself through her lips. Dawn continued to rub her eyes, attempting to wake them up. Piplup walked into the room, also rubbing its eyes. It quickly scanned the room with its now fully awake eyes, and allowed itself to giggle. Pikachu would never learn; regardless, just to be a combination of help and a nuisance, Piplup shot a very light jet of water into Dawn's face. The poor girl gurgled and spluttered as Piplup's Water Gun attack and her completely soaked. As soon as Piplup finished, Dawn instantly became enraged with her tiny blue penguin.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR PIPLUP?" she screeched at it with blind rage. Now not only was she soaked from head to toe, but her hair was completely drenched! This was going to take forever to fix! Piplup was caught by surprise by its trainer's harsh reaction, and quickly ran back into their room, slamming and locking Dawn out. Dawn slowly transformed into a teapot as her face became a deadly crimson red and steam billowed from her ears.

"PIPLUP, YOU OPEN THIS DOOR IMMEDIATELY!" Piplup replied to Dawn, telling her it wouldn't open the door until Dawn calmed down. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NOT UNTIL I CALM DOWN'? PIPLUP, YOU ARE SO DEAD WHEN I GET IN THERE, I'M GONNA TURN YOU INTO PENGUIN FLAMBÉ!"

"Dawn, look at it this way, you got your bath in early," chuckled Ash as he and Brock slowly recovered from their abrupt sleep, Pikachu furiously apologizing to both. Dawn snapped her neck towards Ash, giving him a leer that could've contested against a Gyarados'. Ash shrank back under his covers like a Diglett, deciding he'd better hide until the storm had passed. Brock, being much smarter than Ash, pretended to stay asleep throughout this whole ordeal. His teeth remained tightly clenched, as if bracing himself for a deadly rage attack from the Gyarados that looked like Dawn in their room.

From inside her room, she heard the click of a Poké Ball, the release of white energy, and Piplup hurriedly whispering something to whichever Pokémon it had released. The next thing she knew, Togekiss had tiptoed into the room, with Piplup under its wing like a caring mother. Before Dawn had a chance to speak, locked eyes with Dawn and became surrounded by a thin white aura, which had now enveloped Dawn as well. Togekiss' Charm attack began to calm Dawn down. She felt the rage inside of her go out like water dousing out the fire.

Dawn had calmed down, but remained slightly irritated with Piplup still. She walked back into her room, and locked the door behind her, leaving Togekiss and Piplup in the boys' room. Togekiss released a yawn, and snuggled itself and Piplup onto the now unoccupied bed of Ash Ketchum, who had quickly gotten himself into the bathroom before Brock claimed it.

Ash would never tell her, but he hated it when Dawn used Togekiss. Togekiss was the evolution of Togetic, which was the evolution of Togepi. They always reminded Ash of…her. And it made him feel terrible for leaving her alone at the Cerulean gym. But it was her decision; she had wanted to stay. She should've known that she could have come back to travel with him and Pikachu and Brock anytime. But Ash knew he couldn't be angry with her; after all, her birthday was coming up soon. He felt the angry wrinkles previously formed in his features slowly soften, and then stretch into a slightly excited expression. In fact, if he had been counting right, they should be docking this evening. Which meant 17 days left until her birthday. _Perfect._

Ash took a quick peak at himself in the bathroom mirror; his raven hair remained impossibly disheveled, and he knew it would forever stay like that. A white t-shirt hugged his body snuggly, his very lightly toned chest and abs nearly showing through. Ash was sporting his favorite pair of boxers, black with a pattern of Pikachu expressions etched across them. Ash quickly stripped down, and walked into the shower. The water ran across his body, each droplet racing to reach the pool of water surrounding his feet, and into the drainage. He soaked his hair, and continued his shower while going over his birthday plan once more in his head. It was pretty simple, but he knew Misty would love it.

Brock decided to was safe to get out of bed now; he walked over to the window and ruffled his sienna hair, spiking in every other direction. The ocean looked gorgeous, reflecting the bright rays of the sun. It reminded him of their previous traveling partner Misty, whom they were going to see. Ash wouldn't admit it, but Brock knew that was the main reason Ash had wanted to return so badly to Kanto. He missed her, and wanted to show that by giving her the best 16th birthday she could ever wish for. He smiled to himself, thinking how incredibly and impossibly dense his friend was. Ah well, time fixes everything.

Dawn stepped into her shower, washing away the remaining annoyance built up inside of her. She didn't know why she had gotten so angry with Piplup; it never happened before. For some reason, she just snapped. For some reason, the water caused her to become upset, and just snap. Oh well, she thought. She'd make today a good day, and make it up to Piplup. She was thankful that it was smart enough to get Togekiss out; Togekiss could diffuse any situation in seconds. She loved it dearly; for some reason, however, Ash seemed to become the slightest bit irritated whenever she used Togekiss. She had once asked him about this, but he gave her a huge smile, and told her it was nothing, and then continued to run over to Togekiss and hug it. She couldn't help but notice that the hug seemed to be given gingerly, and was not as full and complete as the one Togekiss returned. _No matter, it's no big deal I'm sure_ she thought.

No more than ten minutes later, as Dawn had just pulled on her outfit, an enormous explosion erupted and echoed throughout the hallways, followed by ear-splitting screams and chaotic roars! She quickly ran over to the boys' room to return Togekiss and grab Piplup, and make sure the boys were ok. Brock was nowhere to be seen, and Ash had emerged from the bathroom, steaming and towel hastily wrapped around his waist.

"What was that?" asked the dumb-founded teen. Dawn replied with a shrug, and quickly returned Togekiss as Piplup jumped a top her head. "I'll meet you at the front deck in 5 minutes" Ash yelled as Dawn quickly exited the room with a wave of acknowledgement. Ash quickly threw on his outfit, grabbed his Poké Balls, and ushered Pikachu to his shoulder. He sprinted down the hallways, past screaming people hugging each other in fear and ushering children into locked rooms, and reached the deck. A few people were sprawled across the deck, while others were running away from the front of the ship. Ash spotted a Togekiss and Chansey ushering people back towards the other end of the shape, as a Mamoswine carefully lifted the sprawled humans on the floor and carried them to safety for Chansey and Togekiss to heal. He spotted Dawn and Brock glaring towards eight shadowed figures. They must have been the cause of the explosion.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Ash roared at the unexpected and unwelcome visitors.

A woman with a raspy voice spoke up. "Cassidy, I thought you said these twerps knew you?"

"As did I, Caroline. I suppose they still haven't learned," another women replied.

"Cassidy? That means-"

"Prepare for trouble, you got that right!" shouted four of the members, clearly male.

"And make it double!" replied the remaining four members, clearly female.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all people's in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!" "Caroline!" "Veronica!" "Julie!"

"Butch!" "Adrian!" "Neil!" "Trevor!"

"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight, fight, fight!"

"Team Rocket!" roared the three teens. They couldn't believe; how could they possibly find them, every single time? Ash and Brock were well past irritated or frustrated. They were flat out furious.

"We've been assigned to-" began a boastful, big-headed Butch.

"Yeah, yeah, we know you're here to steal Pikachu Barry!" Dawn interrupted, thinking of the first name that began with B other than Butch, knowing how much it got on his nerves.

Butch squeezed his eyes shut. His teeth slammed together, gritting and grinding away at each other. A vein on his head stuck out, pulsating with rage. His blood boiled whenever somebody called him the wrong name; he absolutely despised it. How dim-witted were people? Professor Oak himself had gotten it wrong at least two or three times, and he was supposed to be a world-renown genius! But he couldn't show those brats that it had gotten to him; he would just have to live through it, at least for today…

"Actually, we're here to-" continued a cautious, combative Cassidy.

"To be honest, we don't really care. Why don't you take Bart and the rest of your cronies and just leave, saving all of us loads of time and energy?" snarled Brock, clearly tired of Team Rocket's old antics.

Butch crossed his arms, digging his gloved nails into his elbows, forcing his mouth shut. _I swear, if those brats think they can just say whatever they wanted, and get away with it…_

This action was not to go unnoticed by Ash. He remembered how flustered and frustrated Butch could get, so he continued to toy with him. One more name should crack him wide open…

"Brock's right. Now get out of here Cassidy and Bryce-"

He snapped. "THAT. IS. IT. THE NAME IS BUTCH. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU KIDS, ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID? I WILL PERSONALLY GET RID OF ALL OF YOU!" Like a twig.

Ash, Brock, and Dawn all swapped satisfied smiles. It felt good to get under Team Rocket's skin.

"We're actually here to kidnap all of you, and take you somewhere. Not just that weak Pikachu." Pikachu's cheeks flared with electricity at the insult, preparing itself if Ash told him to attack. Cassidy continued. "We want a battle. If you lose to us, you come with us. If you win, we will leave, and we can personally guarantee you shall never see us again." All eight members seemed to slightly shudder at that final comment.

"We accept!" yelled the three trainers, itching for a good butt kicking.

"Good, this will be a 2-on-2 double battle. Julie, Trevor, Veronica and myself shall take these two," a previously named Neil gestured at Dawn and Brock. "And Cassidy, Butch, Caroline, and Adrian will take on the last kid."

Dawn and Brock each pulled out a Poké Ball, while Ash instinctively put his hands on two of his own, decided he'd better let Pikachu rest for now.

"4 against 1? That's not too fair. How about a try and even things up, eh?" challenged a determined voice from behind Ash. Surprised, he turned to his left and faced a girl, no older than he was, with a determined look on her face. She had blonde hair, tied back into a ponytail. She sported a thin, purple hoodie, halfway zipped up. Under it, Ash spotted a blue tank top, and she wore jean capris', complete with matching purple sneakers. She was holding a green Poké Ball Ash recognized as a Friend Ball. She turned to Ash, and gave him a wink. Her eyes gave him a quick elevator, as they locked onto Pikachu. "A Pikachu? Is that yours?" she asked Ash. Ash slowly nodded, still slightly confused at what had just happened. "Pika, come on out!" the blonde yelled to a sports bag strapped across her shoulders. A yellow ear poked out, as if testing the air. A head emerged from the bag, and the rest of the tiny yellow Pokémon climbed atop the girls head.

"Pika, Pikachu!" cried the tiny mouse. Brock noticed that this Pikachu looked nearly identical to Ash's Pikachu, except for the fact that it had a tiny notch in the middle of its tail. That meant that this was a girl Pikachu. Brock glanced over at Pikachu. Yup, he knew it; Pikachu's eyes had slowly glossed over as it stared at the female Pikachu. He chuckled to himself. _This should be interesting._

Ash took a second to think about why she changed Pokémon. Did she think her Pikachu was better than his or something? Who did she think she was? Did she want him to use his Pikachu too? Wait a second...a double battle using two Pikachu's? That would be awesome! Ash's face cracked in a grin. "Let's go Pikachu!"

The two Pikachu's bounded together into the field. Ash's still seemed slightly distracted, though Ash failed to notice.

"Meet our Pokémon!" yelled Caroline and Adrian together, releasing a black Poké Ball from their grasp. It was pitch-black, except for the red Rocket 'R' on the top. A bright light shot to the middle, materializing the energy into the form of a Pokémon; a Beautifly! But this Beautifly looked…different. It retained the normal color of a Beautifly, but with a dark hue. It looked…evil. It's eyes, instead of their traditional periwinkle, they burned a deep crimson, radiating with evil almost. Ash knew Team Rocket had tampered with this Beautifly somehow, and he knew he had to help it in whichever way he could. If their first Pokémon was Beautifly, and if he knew Team Rocket, then Cassidy and Butch's Pokémon would be a…

"Go Dustox, it's time we put these kids back in their place!" Whatever Team Rocket had done to Beautifly, they had also done to this Dustox. Its body emitted a dark aura, and its eyes matched the coloring of the rings on its wings.

"Alright Pika, let's start this battle off with a Thundershock! Aim for that Beautifly!" The girl's Pikachu's eyes narrowed in concentration, and released a bolt of electricity straight towards the butterfly Pokémon.

Adrian chuckled. "Dodge it Beautifly, and counter with Silver Wind." The Beautifly dodged with ease, and released a silver powder from its wings. Narrowing its eyes, it flapped its wings, creating a tornado of silver and sparkles.

"Pikachu, stop Beautifly with Iron Tail!" Ash commanded. He had to help protect this girl's Pikachu. Pikachu looked more than determined; almost angry. It sprinted towards the Beautifly, and front flipped, to launch a devastating Iron Tail.

"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu screamed in pain. It had run head first into some kind of invisible wall!

"Pikachu!" Ash couldn't figure out what happened. He heard Cassidy snickering, and took a peak at Dustox. That's it! It must have used its Light Screen! Without Pikachu to help, Pika was hit with Silver Wind, full blast. The poor Pokémon was lifted off its feet, trapped in a flurry of destructive Silver Wing.

"Dustox/Beautifly, use Whirlwind!" yelled the four Rocket members, simultaneously. The two bug Pokémon hovered with their backs against each other, and spun around with impossible speed. They created a slight draft, and continued to increase the wind's power and flying in a circular motion. Once again, a huge twister appeared on board the ship. This time, both Pikachu's were lifted off their feet and thrown against the floorboards.

Ash gritted his teeth. These two Pokémon were impossibly strong; how was this possible?

"Cassidy dear, wouldn't you agree battling one Pikachu is much easier than battling two?" Caroline asked, cocking her head to her female companion.

"Oh dear Caroline, what a splendid idea!" cheered Cassidy, clapping her hands together with delight.

"Dustox/Beautifly, use Bug Buzz on the girl's Pikachu!" The two bug Pokémon narrowed their eyes, and shouted menacingly. A white line emitted from their cores, slowly growing bigger. Each of them flapped their wings three times, each time releasing a wave of white energy! If this hit, Pika was finished!

Pikachu heard Team Rocket call their attack. He couldn't wait for Ash to call an attack; that female Pikachu was in danger! Pikachu closed its eyes and focused its energy on bringing out its hidden ability: Static. Pikachu immediately began glowing with a thin yellow coating and sparks crackled over its body. Pikachu was thrilled! It turned towards the incoming double-Bug Buzz attack; it began to slowly run at them, and immediately jumped into a sprint.

It took Ash a second, but he finally realized what Pikachu was doing. It was combining its Static ability with a Volt Tackle! "Go ahead Pikachu, Volt Tackle, full speed ahead!" Pikachu become no more than a yellow blur, zooming straight into the waves of yellow energy. The double-Bug Buzz attack exploded in a dazzling rain, and Pikachu continued to zoom straight on through. It hit Beautifly and Dustox head on, KO'ing both. They both fell to the ground in a crumpled heap of static electricity and pain. Pikachu grinned triumphantly! It had saved the female Pikachu, there's no way she couldn't like him now! It jus- Pikachu crumpled to the ground, exhausted and out of energy. Ash ran over to his long-time best friend, cradling him in his arms. He walked over the girl, who had now taken possession of her own Pikachu.

"Is Pika ok?" Ash asked, with genuine concern. He looked the Pikachu over, it had lots of bruises and cuts, but he guessed it'd be ok.

"Mhm, Pika will be just fine! How about Pikachu? That was awfully brave of him to attack and save Pika!" exclaimed the girl, absolutely giddy! Her little Pika whispered a tiny "Pika", which Ash and the girl took to be a thank you to Pikachu. Pikachu blushed furiously, and rubbed the back of its neck, chatting with Pika in their language.

Ash turned towards Team Rocket to give them a piece of his mind; who did they think they were? But he did not expect to see what he saw; the four members were glowing purple, and seemed to be in pain. They flailed and shook, sobbing tears, and begging nobody in particular to spare them. Ash almost felt bad for them.

"Wha-what's going on you guys?" Team Rocket didn't seem to hear him; instead, a white bracelet he hadn't noticed before dropped from each of their left wrists. It fell to the floor, expanding into a large circle. Each member stood, pained, in each of their respective circles. A beam of light emitted from the center, eventually enveloping each member so they were no longer visible to anyone. With a final blood-curling shriek, the four members disappeared. The Poké Balls remained on the ground; Ash picked them up and inspected them carefully. He'd have to show these to Professor Oak, but in the mean time, he decided to place them carefully into his bag. He turned to see the girl cradling both Pikachu's in her arms, whispering softly to them. He walked over, and she happily returned his own Pikachu to his arms. Suddenly, a thought occurred to Ash; Brock and Dawn!

He turned to see them with stunned expressions, Croagunk and Quilava heaving with exhaustion and supporting one another. He noticed that their opponents were nowhere to be seen, and two Poké Balls remained on the ground. Ash walked over and picked them up. He turned them in his hands, and noticed something on the bottom he hadn't noticed before: a letter! 'B'. He looked under the other one; a silver 'A' was embedded in this one. He took the two Poké Balls from his bag; they also had a silver letter under them: 'C' and 'D'. Ash placed all four balls into his bag, making a mental note to point out the letters to Professor Oak. Ash checked to make sure Brock and Dawn were ok as they recalled their tired Pokémon to their Poké Balls.

"And who's this?" Brock gestured towards the blonde girl with the ponytail.

"Oh, I never introduced myself, how silly of me!" The girl giggled, her ponytail bouncing slightly. She grabbed Ash's hand, shaking it. "It's nice to meet you! My name is April!"

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><p><em><strong>How'd ya guys like it? If you guys want to suggest some "evil-looking" Pokémon to include in later chapters, let me know in a review! Also, did you guys enjoy reading a battle? I personally find it boring to read, but I know that some people enjoy it. Do you guys want me to keep writing in battles, or just skip over them and just say "they had a battle" or whatever? Anyways, please review, it helps the story get noticed! Thanks a lot you guys, hope you enjoyed! I'll try to have another chapter up in a week or so!<strong>_


	5. Chapter 4  A Different Kind of Battle

**_So...I understand if many of you hate me. It's been three weeks (I think) since I last updated, and this chapter isn't even that long. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. I was considering making this chapter a main "Pokéshipping" one, but I changed my mind and decided to make it the next chapter. This is just kind of a fun chapter. The ages of the characters are as follows:_**

****_Ash - 15_****

****_Brock - 18_****

****_Dawn - 12_****

****_April - 15_****

****_Misty - 15 turning 16_****

****_****__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story (apart from April, who is a creation of my imagination).**__****_****

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter 4 - A Different Kind of Battle<strong>**

After a tough morning, the four trainers, exhausted from battling, took their Pokémon to the on-board Pokémon Center. Ash, explaining to Pikachu that it was for its own good, reluctantly placed the struggling, weak Pikachu into Nurse Joy's. Nurse Joy flashed a quick grin to Pikachu, and rocked him gently in her arms. No matter where in the world you were, Ash knew he could always count on Nurse Joy. He smiled and waved a goodbye to the disheartened Pikachu as Nurse Joy carried him back for treatment.

Ash decided he might as well drop off the rest of his Pokémon since they would be docking in approximately 12 hours. Brock, Dawn, and April each followed suit, placing their Poké Balls into trays provided by Nurse Joy. As soon as Nurse Joy walked into close proximity of Brock, Ash took a knowing glance up towards his friend. Brock, however, stared at the ground in fierce concentration, as if he was searching for something. Ash grew worried.

"Hey Brock, did ya see Nurse Joy?" Ash whispered to 18-year-old as soon as Nurse Joy had retreated from Ash's line of vision. Brock seemed to either ignore him or just not hear him, because he continued to pierce the ground with his dead eyes. Ash shrugged his shoulders, knowing he'd get it out of Brock sooner or later, and in this instance, the latter seemed the better option for now.

"Hey April, do you wanna maybe join us for some breakfast? We can get to know each other some more!" Dawn piped up, smiling with radiance that would put a Moltres to shame. April stared at Dawn for a few seconds with her misty, ashen eyes **[A/N: See what I did there? I used two words that sound like Ash/Misty to describe April's grey eyes! I'm so creative! :D]**, seemingly kneading the idea in her head. Slowly, a smile formed as her eyes came alive and nodded her head excitedly.

The five trainers strode over to the breakfast room at the other end of the ship. The room was beautifully decorated as a farm scene. A red barn sat alone, a Dodrio calling to the sky, telling the sun it was time to come up and warm the Earth with its radiance. Grumpig rolled around in the mud outside the barn, while a few Miltank grazed along the pasture. Mareep were playfully chasing after one another for the amusement of a group of Oddish, who were frozen giggling.

The trainers sat down and ordered their meals. Ash began the introductions, explaining to April that he was a Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town, aspiring to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. Dawn followed up by saying she was from Twinleaf Town and she met Ash about a year ago, and her dream was to become the world's greatest Pokémon Coordinator. Brock explained to April that he met Ash about 5 years ago, when they battled for the Boulder Badge at the Pewter City Gym. Ash chuckled fondly at the memory while Brock finished explaining that he was working to become the world's greatest Pokémon breeder.

"Wow, you guys have some great dreams!" smiled April. Her ponytail had snaked it's way from the back of her head to across her shoulder, and April playfully twisted it around her finger.

"How about you April? What's your story?" inquired Dawn, with enthusiasm clearly evident. Ash figured she was happy to have another female in their midst, and that she was going to take full advantage of this situation.

"Me? I came from Dewford Town in Hoenn! And, well I don't really know what I want to be, to be honest…" April blushed, embarrassingly rubbing the back of her neck. "I used to want to be a trainer, but I decided that's not where my forté lies." Brock suddenly grabbed April's hands; not in the usual manner in which his eyes were glued to hers, but instead where his eyes scanned her hands, examining them. April looked alarmed, but didn't retract her hand.

"Hm…judging by the structure of your hands, the muscle frequencies in different areas, a slight callus on your right forefinger, and the natural bend of your hands, I'm going to guess you're a photographer." Ash and Dawn looked mildly surprised, but slowly smiled at how intellectual their friend could be sometimes. April looked absolutely stunned, and slowly nodded her head. How had he figured that out by just looking at her hands? April retracted her hand from Brock's, and pulled out an SLR camera with a large lens from her bag. Brock smiled.

"You know Pokémon photography is a very well respected career, you could make a great living from it!" April face slightly sank.

"I know…I love photography more than anything…but…my father doesn't approve…he thinks it's a waste of time. Child's play. He hasn't even ever seen any of my pictures." April ended sadly, her hands folded protectively over her camera in her lap." Ash frowned at this.

"With all due respect to your father April, you need to follow your own dreams. If you don't, you let them disappear, always leaving you to wonder what could have been." Ash remarked, with intelligence far beyond what Dawn and Brock thought he was capable. Brock had to admit though; Ash did have his moments once in a while. He couldn't be stupid _all_ the time. "Do you mind if I take a look at some of your pictures April?"

April nodded her head, clicking a few buttons on her camera and then handing it over to Ash. Ash carefully took it from her hands, making sure to treat it carefully. He slowly flipped through the pictures as Dawn and Brock peeked over his shoulder to get a closer look.

*click* A Xatu carefully nurtured her nest of young Natu, nestling them into bed.

*click* An angry Aggron exerted its dominance over another by defeating it in a battle, roaring triumphantly.

*click* A Dugtrio carefully balanced an apple in between its heads.

*click* A Magcargo angrily spouted flames from its back, warning a Seviper and Arbok to stay back.

Each picture was just as amazing as the last. Ash felt like he was there when each was taken; he could see each and every soaked feather painted on a Wingull's wings as it skimmed the ocean water. He could almost taste the delicious looking bananas hanging under a Tropius' neck as it bathed in the sunlight.

"These…these are amazing April…you're really talented!" exclaimed Ash. He mentally slapped himself. After 5 years of being forced to compliment girls, this was the best he could do? He had better step up his game before they reached Cerulean Ash thought, picking at his omelet.

April giggled as a small blush crept onto her face. "Thanks Ash! This one here is my favorite!" April pulled out a picture frame from her bag. In the center was April, kneeled. She wore a plain white t-shirt and jean capris, her hair in pigtails, and colorful paint splattered everywhere. Pika sat atop her head, grinning stupidly with paint dripping from her ears. April's right hand lay atop the head of a Nuzleaf, with a look of annoyance and irritation plastered on its face as it was forced into the picture. A Mothim fluttered above April's head, clearly enjoying making a mess with her friends. A Marshtomp posed for the camera, flexing his arms with an egotistical grin. A Camerupt smiled cheekily, as an Altaria perched gracefully atop it, the only Pokémon to not be covered in paint. It was as if a rainbow had liquidized and dropped on April and her Pokémon.

"You're Pokémon look really happy April, you must be raising them well," commented Brock. April, once again, blushed and thanked him.

"Can we meet them later?" exclaimed Ash, jumping at the opportunity to meet Pokémon! April smiled and nodded, and ponytail retracting from her shoulder to the back of her head. April reach back and pulled out the rubber band. Her blonde hair lazily dipped down a few inches past her shoulder. Ash's mind thrust him into a two-second flashback; a smile, Cerulean eyes, orange hair ticking her shoulders. April quickly reached up and adjusted her hair into a messy bun as quickly as she had taken the ponytail down.

The hours dragged on quite slowly for Ash. He was able to kill a couple hours playing with the Pokémon when they came back from the Poké Center. Including April's Pokémon, Ash had a total of 21 Pokémon and 4 people, including himself. What better game to play with 25 individuals than Pokémon Dodgeball? Ash and the gang headed over to the ship's gym **[A/N: Yes, it has a gym. It's a big ship. Use your imagination.]**. Pikachu, not trusting Ash one bit to make fair teams, put it upon himself to make the teams fair. After some thinking and pacing, Pikachu split up the teams as such: himself, Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, April, Dawn, Nuzleaf, Camerupt, Pachirisu, Altaria, Gliscor, and Pika against Ash, Croagunk, both Quilavas, Corphish, Crobat, Piplup, Buneary, Mamoswine, Mothim, Marshtomp. Chansey and Togekiss decided to standby as medics (if needed) and Brock played a sort of umpire. Ash didn't think the teams were fair, but after a stern glare from Pikachu, Ash turned away and walked to to his team in one corner of the gymnasium. He stared at the Pokémon with fierce determination.

"Ok guys, I know we can win this! I got a plan, and if we stick to it, we're sure to win!" Croagunk, the Quilava pair, Corphish, Crobat, Piplup, Buneary, Mamoswine, Mothim, and Marshtomp all looked at Ash with equal determination, ready for an amazing evening! Croagunk seemed slightly disappointed at not having a chance to Poison Jab Brock today, but it looked ready as ever. The Quilava pair and Corphish smiled with excitement with Mothim grinning above them. Crobat, Mamoswine, and Marshtomp each had evil grins painted on their faces, ready for a fight! Piplup and Buneary clasped paws and hopped in a circle, jumping with pure joy. Ash began to huddle them closer and whispered his devious plan to the group…

In the other corner, Dawn and April kneeled to get on eye level with the Pokémon. "Ok guys, now I want everyone to have fun, understand? Oh, and the first one to nail Ash gets a special treat!" winked Dawn. April giggled and nodded her head in agreement. She didn't now what it was about them, but she felt as if she'd known the group all her life. She felt happy and safe and relaxed with them. Bulbasaur, Pidgeot, and Altaria all smiled. Nuzleaf leaned against the wall, looking slightly sour. Camerupt, Pachirisu, and Gliscor all grinning cheekily, pumped up from the adrenaline beginning to flow through their bodies. Pika, Dawn, and April giggled as Pikachu attempted to assert its role as leader of the group, failing quite miserably. He sighed, anime-style, and turned to Ash's corner. Pikachu and Ash locked and narrowed eyes, each determined to win. Ash, simply because he liked to win, and Pikachu because it wanted to impress Pika.

Pikachu's team arranged themselves in what seemed to be a random order, as Ash's team held a somewhat consistent flow to it. Mothim and Crobat hovered above the rest, as the pair of Quilavas guarded the left side and Corphish and Piplup guarded the right. Buneary and Croagunk stood atop Mamoswine's head, who dug its heels towards the back of them gym. Marshtomp and Ash look at each other with determination and stood behind their line of scrimmage. As Brock blew his whistle, Ash and Marshtomp raced the pair of Pikachus to the line of balls. Pikachu quickly snatched one up as Ash and Marhstomp dove for two more. Pikacu passed dodgeball after dodgeball to Pika, who batted them back to the rest of their team. Ash and Marshtomp tossed all of the dodgeballs they had grabbed to Mamoswine and the Quilavas, making sure to save one for themselves. Corphish began to produce bubbles as Piplup filled each one with a Mist attack. After Mothim and Crobat had blown over all the bubbles over to Pikachu's side, the pair of Quilavas released an Ember attack, causing a mist to descend upon the unsuspecting enemies. Mamoswine then began with tossing Croagunk and Buneary as high as he could, each grasping two dodgeballs. He then quickly released a slight tremor; the Quilava pair braced themselves as they were launched into the air. Ash and the rest of his team jumped, making sure to avoid the tremor, but it caught all of Pikachu's team by surprise. The entire group buckled over and had to release the dodgeballs in order to stop themselves from falling. As eight dodgeballs were tossed into the air, Mothim and Crobat both released a tiny Gust attack, propelling the dodgeballs at full speed, taking out everyone apart from Pikachu, Pika, and April. Ash smiled maleficently. He figured it would come to this; that's why he and Marshtomp were prepared. They quickly scooped up two extra balls that had rollen over to their side, and locked eyes with their prey. Ash set his eyes on Pikachu and April, while Marshtomp set both of his on Pika. In a blinding fast action, the four balls hurtled towards the enemies, slicing through the air. Pika had froze; she had no where to go as she had backed herself into a cornor. Pikachu had noticed this, and wasn't about to let Pika get hurt; he quickly whipped the ball heading for him straight to the ground with his tail, and, with the help of Agility, raced over to Pika. Pikachu launched itself into the air in front of Pika, catching one of the balls neatly in between his paws and the other locked tightly in his jaws. Pika look startled, but her eyes suddenly sparkled and ran over to give Pikachu a hug. Pikachu blushed and clenched his teeth; his hands were still full. The looked over to the other team; all pairs of eyes had locked onto April. As the ball had locked itself onto her head, April performed a quick backflip a split second before the ball made contact with her nose. As if this feat alone wasn't extraordinary on its own, April had outdone herself and neatly caught the ball in between her ankles mid-backflip. As she landed back on her feet, she clicked her feet together and the ball snapped up into her hands. She spun it around on one finger, smiling triumphantly.

"Now I believe Marshtomp and Ash are out, and we get to put three members back onto our team." Ash looked stunned, angry, and amazed, all at the same time. Marshtomp grumbled to itself as it dragged a motionless Ash to the sidelines. Within two more minutes, the gym became a tornado, a flurry of dodgeballs and various Pokémon attacks. A vinewhip attack caught two dodgeballs high in the air as barrage of bullets stampeded towards the owner of the vinewhip.

An hour later, 22 bodies sat heaving on the ground, sweating and exhausted. Ash and April exchanged satisfied looks as Dawn scratched under the chins of the Quilava pair. Pika and Pikachu lay on their backs, sighing with pleasure, their heads tilted slightly towards each other with smiles on their faces. Brock looked at the scene with great pride as he wiped the sweat off his brow; he had gotten involved after feeling left out. _Life is good._

After all 25 individuals had showered and freshened up, they watched the setting horizon as they slowly approached the Cerulean harbor. As they neared, Ash's heart leaped into his throat and thumped ruggedly. He had seen a flash of orange hair and frantically waving hand.

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><p><strong><em>What did ya guys think? Good, bad? Amazing, terrible? Let me know what you think and what you'd like to see! I pretty much have the rest of the story planned out, but if you have any ideas that you'd like to see incorporated, I'll be glad to read them and consider throwing them in! How are you guys liking Pikachu's love connection? I never see anything like this and I feel like he deserves a special somebody! Anyways...ya...I forgot what else I was going to say...ah well. I hope you guys enjoyed! Stay tuned for more! <em>:D**


	6. Chapter 5  A Misty Night in Cerulean

**_Yeah so, I'm not even gonna try to make excuses. I'm just the worst type of person, updating after an ENTIRE MONTH. I'm just terrible, and I'm so so so sorry guys. I hope that you have still chosen to stay with me. As it's now summer, my free time as opened up tremendously, giving me MUCH more time to work on this. Yeah yeah, the title's cheesy, but I couldn't think of anything better..._**

****_Ash - 15_****

****_Brock - 18_****

****_Dawn - 12_****

****_April - 15_****

****_Misty - 15 turning 16_****

****_****__**Disclaimer: I do not Pokémon or any of the characters in this story (apart from April, who is a creation of my imagination).**__****_****

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5 - A Misty Night in Cerulean<strong>

_He's here!_ were the first words that entered Misty's mind as her eyes, at last, spotted the S. S. Pokémon. She couldn't believe it! After so many years of not seeing Ash, after so many years of waiting hours on end by the phone waiting for a call, after so many years of desperately staring at the Cerulean Gym doors hoping he'd burst through, she would finally get to see him. She swore to herself to forgive everything he did or didn't do so long as he returned the monster hug she had ready for him. Oh, and she missed Pikachu and Brock as well…but Ash was coming! She had so much to talk to him about, his journeys, her time at the gym, how successful she's made the gym, how much of a better battler and trainer she is, and how she was going to at long last get a chance to kick his butt once and for all!

For this exact reason, she had left all her Pokémon, especially Azurill, at home. She knew she couldn't contain her excitement, no matter how hard she tried, and she surely would have squeezed Azurill into jam.

As the boat neared the dock, Misty started to have doubts. _What if he's changed? What if he's a totally different person? What if he hates me? What if he's just as mad at me for not calling or anything as I am with him? What if he found another gi-_ Misty stopped herself. She couldn't think like that. After all, Ash had come _all_ the way from Sinnoh for _her_ birthday. On the other hand, he had just finished the league and would have returned home regardless…the new harbor at Cerulean was a fair bit closer to Pallet than Vermillion's is, so it could have just been convenient for Ash…

As these dark thoughts plagued her mind, chasing away the happy, light ones with dark, diseased ones, the Butterfree's within Misty's stomach began to flutter harder, almost violently. She began to bite and chew on her lip and she folded and pressed her hands together. Her legs slightly trembled, so she took a seat on a nearby bench. Depressed, Misty pressed her forehead against her palms. _Everything will be alright, just stay strong, he misses you, he even said so in the letter, he'll be happy to see you…I hope…but what if he forg-_

"Misty!" Misty heard her name being shouted. It was him…his voice hadn't changed a bit! She hoped this was a sign; slowly, she lifted her head and her eyes warmly accepted the sprinting Ash Ketchum. She could tell he'd grown a bit, he seemed to be an inch or two taller than her. Misty's face cracked into the biggest smile as Ash came tumbling into her open arms. They hugged, but were immediately interrupted by Pikachu. Pikachu had sneakily snuggled his way in between the trainers and he hugged and nuzzled his face into Misty's neck. Misty giggled uncontrollably and squeezed the beloved cutie.

"I missed you so much Pikachu!" Misty cooed affectionately before planting a soft kiss on Pikachu's cheek.

"Chaaaaaa" Pikachu, content with being back with Misty, remained snuggled in her arms.

"Hey Misty, it's great to see you!" Brock roared as he drew Misty into a bear hug. Misty giggled and gladly returned the hug. She saw Brock a lot like an older brother, and she loved him as such. Two new girls walked slowly behind Brock; one Misty recognized as Dawn, but she did not know the other girl. Misty had never seen or met Dawn, but she knew which girl she has by Ash's description. Towards the beginning of his travels, when Ash actually called her, Misty had sprouted a slight dislike towards Dawn. However, according to Ash, she was very much a novice, and though she was improving, she'd never be as talented a battler as Misty. For some odd reason, this allowed Misty to warm up to Dawn…

"Hi, you must be Dawn! I'm Misty, it's great to finally meet you!" Misty exclaimed, ringing Dawn's hand as Pikachu had perched itself on Misty's right shoulder as he normally did with Ash.

"Thanks, it's great to finally meet you too! Ash talks about you all the time, so you must be a pretty amazing girl!" Dawn ended the last bit in a whisper so that only Misty could hear, sealing it with a wink. Misty giggled and couldn't help but slightly blush. Ash talked about her? All the time? And he said nice things about her? Maybe this visit could turn out better than she originally anticipated…

"Hi, my name's April! I just met Ash and Brock and Dawn on the boat," smiled April, as she reached her hand out. Misty eyed her carefully, noticing the happy Pikachu on her shoulder. She could not help but feel very friendly with her. She smiled back, and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you, my name's Misty! And I met Ash and Brock more than 5 years ago!" Misty giggled, fondly reminiscing how she met her two best friends. "Is this your Pikachu?"

"Yeah! I call her Pika!" Pika hopped off April's head and bounded into Misty's arms, giving the stranger a giant hug. Pika liked to greet humans enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you Pika," giggled Misty. Pika climbed up to Misty's left shoulder, touching her tail to Pikachu's. Pikachu seemed to melt at the touch. Misty giggled, clearly noticing something the other four were missing.

Misty doubled back to give Ash a proper hug, who looked surprised at the gesture, but quickly relaxed and returned the hug. They broke apart only once Brock uttered a near inaudible cough, quickly throwing the two teenagers apart, each very slightly flushed. Misty, however, had grown used to such situations and had learned how to react quickly.

"Let's get going guys, it's getting dark, you're all staying at the gym! I only setup up three rooms for Brock, Ash, and Dawn, but I'll get one ready real quick for you April," smiled Misty, as they followed her back to the Cerulean Gym.

"Don't go to any trouble Misty, I'm perfectly happy with a couch or the floor!" replied April, not wanting to take advantage of her new friends' old friend's hospitality.

"No worries, I'll I gotta do is put on a few sheets and get a few blankets and pillows! By the way April, why were you heading here to Cerulean? Any special reason?" Ash, Brock, and Dawn all looked towards April, realizing that hey hadn't even thought of this. '_Typical_' Misty thought, smirking and rolling her eyes at Ash, who seemed to have read her mind as he stuck out his tongue at her.

April began by reeling off her story as she had done to the other three and also proceeded to show her some shots. "But anyways, I've been around Hoenn a lot, and taken tons of pictures, but I've heard there's some pretty amazing sights here in Kanto, and I wanted to go on a kind of Pokémon journey to explore here. My father thinks I'm on a real Pokémon journey though; you know, like as a trainer? My final goal is to make an album for each Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova." April finished almost quietly, as if embarrassed.

"…That sounds…really, really cool April! Do you think maybe I could get a copy of one of the albums when you're finished?" Misty asked, genuinely excited. She loved April's shots, and would be more than happy to pay top price for them!

"Yeah, me too!" Ash butted in.

"I'd like one too!" exclaimed Brock.

"Me three!" chimed Dawn.

April was taken aback, really embarrassed. She wasn't used to such high compliments concerning her photography. "Well…I'll give you all a copy on one condition." Misty turned around and walked backwards, as to give April her full attention. The other three followed suit, turning their bodies towards April.

"Well…Ash, you said you, Brock, and Misty have been on a journey through Kanto and Johto, right? Do you think maybe its possible if…I don't know, postpone your trip to Unova until next year? And maybe…" April began timidly, but grew strength from a confident nod from Pika. "Maybe you three, and Dawn also, could maybe tour me around and show me some cool spots to take pictures? I'd be more than happy to give you each free copies of the albums if you did!"

Misty, Brock, and Dawn each blinked a few times before breaking into wide grins. "We'd love to!" exclaimed Brock.

"That would be perfect, I wanted to try my luck at the Kanto and Johto contests anyways!" Dawn piped up.

"It'll be great to go back and meet all our old friends, too!" reminisced Misty. She looked towards Ash to see what his reaction to this would be. Of course, she found little use for going on a journey without him.

Ash seemed to be battling himself in his head, debating what he should do. He had wanted to return to Unova immediately and at last become a Pokémon Champion, but this seemed too good an opportunity to miss. Traveling back to see everything, maybe even competing in the leagues once more? Traveling back with Misty…wait a second…

"…Wait…Misty…how are you going to get away from the Gym?" Ash inquired; he decided this would make his final decision. If Misty would go for sure, then he would too. If not, he was going to return immediately to Unova after her birthday.

"Funny you ask Ash; I've actually been training my sisters, hoping they could soon take the gym back. They've each actually been able to defeat me a few times, so I think maybe after my birthday, they'll be ready to take it back completely. They've already agreed that I can leave once they're strong enough if I wanted to!" Misty hoped this meant that Ash would come along too. Or did he ask her that because he _didn't _want to travel with her again, remembering all the times she had yelled or hit or beat him, mercilessly most of the time?

Ash looked at Misty, blinking a few times, and she began to worry. After a few seconds, Ash broke into a wide smile. "In that case, I'm all for this!" Misty put on a small smile, but inside, her heart was doing cartwheels. _I get to travel with Ash again? I…wow…_

As they reached the gym, April looked over it. She thought it looked a lot like an arena, but an aquarium at the same time. Misty withdrew a tiny key with a Psyduck on the end of it and unlocked the gym doors. "My sisters aren't in town for a few days, so we have the entire gym to ourselves! Is anyone hungry or anything?"

Everyone shook their heads, exhaustion at last coming through victoriously. They walked past the reception desk, and were faced with two doors. The door to the left was labeled "Pool/Gym" and the door to the right was labeled "Private". Misty pulled out a second key, but this time with a Togepi on the end of it, and unlocked the door. The walked up a small set of stairs and she unlocked another door. The door opened into a beautiful living room. The accent of the room was, of course, a light shade of blue, Misty's favorite. Misty showed them all up another flight of stairs and they walked into a hall much like that of a hotel.

"The four rooms at the end of the hall belong to my sisters; one for each bedroom and then a make-up room or something. They don't like anyone down there, so if you guys don't mind, please avoid that area. Dawn, you can have this room here," Misty indicated a door on her left next to a door labeled 'Beauty Room – Misty NOT Allowed'. "And April, you can have the room across from hers. You guys can get setup, I'll be back April with some sheets and blankets and pillows!" The two girls smiled and bid goodnight to the boys and Misty. Misty ran downstairs to grab April's things and brought them to her.

"Ok Brock, you're here next to Dawn and Ash you're next to April. My room is the other door next to Ash's," Misty indicated a door that had her name drawn on the door, the letters written as if the waves of the ocean and washed up and left it there. Brock bid his two best friends goodnight, thanked Misty, and headed into his room. Ash and Misty were left alone in the hall; exactly what Ash was waiting for.

"H-Hey Misty, um…I uh, I got something for you," Ash stuttered as he laid down his bag and pulled out a bundle of clothes. He untied the bundle, revealing a beautiful glass sculpture of a Togepi. It's eyes were closed and it was throwing its tiny arms in the air, giving the impression it was relaying its trademark "Toge-priiiiiiiiiiii". Ash slowly lifted it up on a palm, as it fit neatly into it.

"Do you remember when we were on Sunburst Island in the Orange Islands, and we met somebody named Mateo? He was looking for that Crystal Onix and we found it? Well, I asked him for a favor; I had him carve Togepi out of glass. This is part one of your birthday present, and I-I really hope you like it." Ash relayed this entire speech holding the Togepi in his right hand and pulling his cap over his eyes with his left, almost as if afraid to look Misty in the eyes. He stuck his right hand out, indicating for her to take it. Misty eyes had already moistened, tears slowly racing down her cheeks. With a shaky hand, she accepted the gift. Misty laughed through her tears, closed her eyes, and kissed the little Togepi. She then rested her eyes on her best friend, and just looked at him. Without any warning she threw her arms over him, and nuzzled her face into his neck.

"Th-thank you so much Ash…you have no idea how much this means to me. Thank you for thinking about me," she whispered into his neck. Ash, surprised, returned the hug, so happy that she liked it. Misty pulled back and lifted the Togepi up to Pikachu on her shoulder.

"What do you think Pikachu? Does it look like Togepi?" Pikachu was amazed, Ash had never shown him this. Pikachu carefully lifted it from Misty's hand, rubbed it against his cheek, and let out a satisfied 'Chaaaaa'. A tear fell across Pikachu's cheek.

"Pipipi…" Pikachu reminisced. Misty giggled.

"I'm glad you approve Pikachu." Ash joked.

Misty laughed again. "Thank you so much Ash. This is…just wonderful. And what do you mean this is part one?"

"Oh, well, you'll see, it's a surprise!" Ash smirked triumphantly. He loved knowing things Misty didn't, it got under her skin so. Misty rolled her eyes at how immature Ash still was. But he was still hers.

"Go to bed Mr. Pokémon Loser, I'll see you tomorrow," Misty giggled. "Goodnight Ash, sweet dreams."

"Goodnight Mist." Misty's couldn't stop her heart from leaping every single time he called her Mist. She loved it; nobody else called her that, and it had better stay that way. "You coming Pikachu?" Pikachu shook his head, indicating he was sleeping with Misty tonight. Ash smiled. "Alright then, goodnight buddy." Pikachu bid his trainer goodnight, and bounded into Misty's room as she opened her door. Misty walked in and strode over to a large table adorned with a mirror. She took out her rubber band and placed it onto a Gyarados stand that held many other rubber bands. She looked at a picture of her and Togepi on the table and smiled at it as another tear left her. _I miss you Togepi…_

Misty got changed and slipped into bed where Pikachu was waiting. She got under the covers and Pikachu nestled itself onto her stomach. Misty giggled, Pikachu's fur tickling the bare skin he had revealed as he climbed onto her. "Night Pikachu," Misty said as she kissed the little Pokémon's head. Pikachu bid her goodnight as well and they both fell asleep. Misty fell asleep very soundly, with her tiny Togepi on her windowsill and her hair falling across her face. She had left her window open, so a breeze rolled into the room. The breeze kissed Misty's cheek, sweeping her hair away from her face as a tiny smile formed across her mouth. The full moon shone down on Misty, a shadow of a Pokémon that resembled a half-moon painting her face. She whispered something, inaudible to even Pikachu.

"I love you Ash Ketchum."

* * *

><p><strong><em>So there's that. A bit of fluff from Misty, not too much. And Ash being cute, yeah, yeah. There'll be more AAML in later chapters, you shall see. As you can tell, this story is gonna be quite long as we are going to re-visit each region. Anyone wonder where Team Rocket is? What happened to those members that attacked our heroes on the boat? Stay tuned for more exciting adventures! <em>:D**


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